Eagle (Family)
"Silence and Beauty" Orel family motto Orel Jay Yuria was one of the "mercenary lord" serving under the Mikado, not directly a member of the Imperial family or someone who the Mikado had named into a position like the Hayabusa or the Garou, but a soldier that had risen through the ranks through her cunning and military prowess. Orel Yuria was quite different from the more influential Sons of Heaven due to her pale complexion, golden brown hair and green eyes, which remains a common trait amongst modern Orel, but her dedication to the Mikado's cause was the same as the rest. When she began organizing her cavalry force into raiding and harassment units, she caught the attention of the Mikado, which granted her a minor lordship in the Endless Shores at her retirement. At the end of the 20th century, the Orel are holding on to their regional power while other minor lords like them have been absorbed or vassalized by larger entities. Political marriages and crafty alliances keep them in power where they need to be and the fact they have never entered direct conflict with any of their neighbor keeps has given them a political edge, in th end. The Orel family The Orel family is fairly small, when compared to the Hayabusa or any other major Sons of Heaven family. Not having branched out too much, most of the family remain in their region and often only leave due to the demands of their current alliances or because some of the younger members of the family feel a bit adventurous. The Orel line is mainly matriarcal, meaning the head of the family is the eldest woman of the main branch while other women hold other important offices in the family line. The strong Sons of Heaven blood keeps the family traits alive, like the light hair color and the unusual green eye colour, but a lot of the local population do not really share these traits. The Orel live mainly on the trade they make with other regional lords of horses and milk product. Wool has become more and more popular in the late 20th century, mainly to feed the Peregrine's textile mills, but this remains a smaller trade at this time. Past time for the noble class in the region mainly include playing polo, horseback riding treks and writing poetry while in the countryside. The Hawk has been known to finance a large amount of poets and painters has they travel through their territory, attempting to capture the imagination with their calm and serene countryside. Lordship and territory The Orel territory, even though vast, is amongst the smallest of the original Sons of Heaven territory, as is the case with most other mercenary families that had joined the Mikado in his first conquest. Located in the northeast of the Endless Shores, far from the said Shores and close to the Midlands forests and bordered to the north by the Green River and the Expanses, it is also not one of the richest or most fertile region of the Empire, except for the vast rolling hills and plains that favour the primary activity of the local settlers: raising livestock. The Hawk are well known for their quality sprinting horses which they trade with almost all the neighboring lords and the cows, sheeps and goats the local raise also give them a steady income. There are no real major population center in the region except for the regional capital, which is still small compared to many eastern Tarigani settlements or northern Yunjin settlements. Most of the territory is peaceful due to years of repression of criminal activity and the necessity to protect the local herding trade, which eliminated most dangerous animals from the region, but the Orel still maintain a large cavalry force on hand, trained in their own traditional combat techniques or following the ancient Tarigani traditions. While not comparable to the military strength of any major family, the Orel can easily withstand aggression from other local lords or repress local revolts with ease. One of the biggest military advantage of the Hawk is that they are very close to most of their important neighbors, meaning assistance in form of Peregrine soldiers or Wolf cavalry is never too far if things get bad for them. Orel lords are a pastoral and regional bunch. While they do hold a seat in the regional capital, most of the time, they are seen traveling their territory and enjoying the mild climate of the region, participating in sporting events or enjoying life. Most of the local administration is left to the Imperial Bureaucracy and Imperial appointees, except for military matters. This relaxed attitude differs a lot from other regional leaders, which makes some of the local peasantry and merchants quite happy to live in a region where they are not always scrutinized and overtaxed. This attitude, however, does anger some of the stricter Imperial leaders, which regard this as a form of negligence on the part of the Orel. The Orel are not the most religious of the Great Families, prefering to let people choose their own way in life, but most of them are still practicing the Way of the Stars, even though they also respect the tradition of the Tarigani people they have been ruling over and also pay their respect ot the local shrines and giving thanks to the great spirits . Vassal families The Orel do not have any direct vassal other than retainer samurais and their own military forces. They are often said to be a vassal of the Hayabusa, Garou or Uma family, especially when marital ties bind them to one of those families more heavily, but the Orel have managed to keep their independence over the years through careful political maneuvering and clever alliances. Rivals and enemies The Hawk has no real enemies, living carefully in their own little region of the Endless Shore and providing a steady trade partner for other local lords, selling their horses and protecting trade caravans as they go by. The Tall Pine and Mamushi family have always been wanting to claim some of the Orel's territory has their own through most of the 2nd millenium of the Empire, but the fact the Orel have friends in high places limited conflicts between them. Important members of the family Category:Great Families Category:Tarigani